Navigating through a world that has continuously made it clear that it does not belong to you is demanding on anyone physically, mentally, and emotionally. In 2016, more than 532 people have lost their lives, according to Think Progress, at the hands of those who promise to serve and protect them.

The recent high profile shootings of, and by, Black Americans can only be fully understood through the 20/20 lens of history. There has been no real economic or practical progress for Black Americans since the 1960s.

The annual Essence Music Festival is known as “the party with a purpose.” It’s an event primarily sponsored by Essence Magazine, a publication aimed toward African-American women. Celebrating the festival’s 20th anniversary in New Orleans on Jul. 3 to 6, the festival’s speaker line-up this year includes Austinite Jonathan Sprinkles.

Many of us remember where we were, who we were with, and how we felt on the remarkable day when Barack Obama won the election to become President of the United States. Although others cried out and obstinately declared they would leave the country in protest, fair-minded individuals regardless of who they voted for confidently acknowledged the noteworthy event.